The Kansas City Chiefs ended the 2021 season by losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime of the AFC Championship Game. In March 2022, the Chiefs traded All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. Last season marked the only other time the Chiefs failed to make the Super Bowl since 2019 - having appeared in five of the last seven Super Bowls, including three championships - and it was even uglier than 2021.
The Chiefs finished 6-11, the team’s first sub-.500 finish since head coach Andy Reid took over in 2013, and lost quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a torn ACL and LCL on Dec. 14.
While the Chiefs aren’t expected to make a move as dramatic as trading Hill - though there are persistent rumors that trading All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie is possible - Kansas City is facing its most pivotal offseason since Mahomes’ arrival. The roster turnover is expected to be dramatic.
Kansas City’s salary-cap maneuvering began with the release of two-time Super Bowl champion defensive end Mike Danna and continued on Monday morning with a piece of their Super Bowl LVIII-winning team.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Chiefs informed starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor “that he will be released before the start of the league year, barring a trade.” The move will clear $20 million in cap space for the Chiefs.
Taylor, who signed a mega contract with Kansas City in March 2023, bid farewell shortly after news broke.
“Year 7,” Taylor captioned an Instagram carousel. “Not the ending we imagined. But I'm thankful for the opportunity, the grind, the lessons, and the fans who never wavered. Through wins, losses, and everything in between Chiefs Kingdom showed up. That never goes unnoticed. Forever Grateful. - 74 [red heart emoji].”
Taylor suffered from triceps and elbow injuries last season, which limited him to a career-low 12 games. Taylor was a plus pass blocker throughout his time with the Chiefs, but he consistently hurt the offense with repetitive penalties - even becoming infamous for false starts. He led the NFL in penalties in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus.
The buzz in Kansas City is that swing tackle Jaylon Moore, who signed with the Chiefs last offseason, will replace Taylor at right tackle. Left tackle Josh Simmons, whom the Chiefs drafted in the first round last year, solidified his spot as Mahomes’ blind side protector of the future before he dislocated and fractured his wrist on Thanksgiving. The Chiefs made All-Pro center Creed Humphrey the highest-paid at his position in 2024, and they extended right guard Trey Smith last summer. After a woeful rookie season at left tackle in 2024, 23-year-old Kingsley Suamataia impressed at left guard in 2025.
So, Mahomes will still have plenty of familiar faces protecting him when he returns from injury sometime in 2026. The rest of the roster remains a question mark ahead of free agency officially opening on March 11 and the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23. The Chiefs are slotted to pick at No. 9.
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